Obama's day: Tourism at the Baseball Hall of Fame

May 22, 2014
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President Obama / Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama devotes Thursday to what the White House calls its "travel and tourism agenda," and promotes it with a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The day begins with a late morning meeting between Obama and travel industry CEOs. That industry "supports nearly 8 million jobs across the country and is a major driver of our economy," says the White House.

In the afternoon, Obama will be the first sitting president to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he will discuss new plans to encourage international tourism.

The president plans to ask the departments of homeland security and commerce to find ways to streamline the entry process for foreign visitors passing through the nation's airports.

A new White House report says that a record 70 million foreign citizens visited the United States in 2013, up from 55 million foreign visitors in 2009. That growth has bolstered the domestic economy and helped create jobs, the report said.

After touring the Baseball Hall of Fame, Obama heads off to his hometown of Chicago for fundraisers.on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.